in the fifth grade
i knew a boy who was obsessed with komodo dragons
he would tell people facts about them, every day
"their saliva is toxic," he would say.
i told him if i my spit was toxic
i would be the most unpopular boy in the fifth grade
instead of him
every time i kissed someone they would throw up or die
i would spit through walls if i was running late and they would corrode away quickly
he said, "that's not what toxic means, michael doherty!"